bamboozled

I need to go before Aug 7 for the last of my Non-B (which will take it to 15 months). I'm getting a little nervous.

Gotcha....well, October in New England is not so bad at all.

Thanks!

Ubon Joe, What is needed for this, and I quote from one of your above posts: "If he has at least 8 months of validity on his could get a new multiple entry non-b visa in Penang."

I assume you mean 8 months validity on his passport, correct? Or is it on the work permit? I have a non-b and a registered Thai company but no work permit. I have a US passport and the last visa I got was in Boston which is a bit of a hike. If I could get a new visa in Penang, well, that is certainly closer. My visa is up next month and I'll go for the extra 90 days just before it expires. However, a new visa would be even better. Any chances for me?

Thanks and cheers, Bam

I haven't been in years now, maybe 4 or 5, but I was quite happy with the shop on the left past Wulai Rd along the moat and then almost on the corner after that next big road just before you get to the Chinese consulate. I've had 5 or 6 large posters framed there with mats cut and all. I was happy with the price but cannot remember what that price was as it was years ago. It certainly will have changed. Pic included as an example of their work.

This bike shop was mentioned in a post about 3 weeks ago. I will copy and paste some info and the coordinates from that post at the bottom of this one. I went today to get some repairs on an old hybrid bike and the folks were just so amazingly friendly and cooperative and accommodating. And they repaired and replaced a bunch of stuff right away, in about 45 minutes while I waited. This is after I went back and forth a bit on how much I wanted to spend and what I wanted to replace. The mechanic was super nice also and in the end told me to spend less and just make the bike ridable which saved me at least 3000 baht and the bike "feels" new. I can't say enough about how nice an experience it was. I don't know if they will have what you are looking for in bikes or if their prices are high or low (for my parts and the labor it seemed plenty fair) but they are super nice people. This is after years of taking my bike to LA Bicycle on the corner of the moat which I would say is on the far opposite end of the "super nice people" scale. Give this place a try, they deserve it!

The post from 3 weeks ago: "Chaitawat Bike Shop is this month’s featured bike shop in Thailand. This small but well stocked shop is located inside the old section of Chiang Mai city. Situated on the corner of Ratpakinai Road and soi 6, opposite the Bodhi Serene Hotel, the Chaitawat Bike Shop is a great find for visitors who are staying in the boutique hotels and guesthouses of ‘Old Chiang Mai.’ Chaitawat Bike Shop has been in its current location for many years and the owners claim that it is one of the first bike shops to open in Chiang Mai. The Chaitawat sign is written in Thai script but theshop is easy to see from the road as it has bicycles displayed on the sidewalk in front of the shop. As always, you can use our handy GPS coordinates to help you find the shop on Google Maps."

Chaitawat Bike Shop
75/4 Ratpakinai Road
T. Phra Sing A. Mueang Chiang Mai
50200
ภาษาไทย [+]
Tel: 053-279-890, 081-626-2590
GPS – N 18 47.063, E 98 59.427

How about alcohol dyes for leather? There are a couple shops for those though the color variety might not be that great. And Chiang Mai Plastic does have powered dyes for cotton that are mixed with water. However, other shops in Wararot also have them and most certainly will be cheaper than Chiang Mai Plastic.

Thanks people!

I've sent many a package by Thai post with great results but never to Russia which I must now do. Can I have faith that it will arrive? Does anyone have experience with this?

Cheers...

I need a google account to use it? I hate when they force me to do that...

Hi Rich,

Which browser are you using? I have an Apple and use Safari but I just downloaded Torch and now the Torch browser opened. Can I also use it with Safari?

Lo and behold the other day there was an advert from True stuck in my front gate. I know have, for better or worse, True service internet with 15 mbps download and 1.5 upload, new modem/wifi combined, new cables/wires to the house and into the house, etc... I have not noticed much change in my download speeds to be honest. I'm assuming this is because most of what I'm looking at comes from an international server? My gf, however, looking at what I guess are Thai hosted sites, says it is much faster. My uploads have gotten much quicker which is lovely.

I did a few speed tests and they came back with 30 mbps download and 1.5 or 1.8 upload, hmmmm. But those were in Thailand, I believe. I just ran a test while writing this with http://testmy.net/download and I got only 2.1 mbps download and 1mbps upload from Dallas, TX.

RichCor, I still have to try Hola. I have my fingers crossed for that.

I was intrigued by the fiber optic cable but didn't want to double my internet expense. But I'll keep an upgrade in mind if I can't abide with the speeds I have now. However, if the bottleneck is the international connection I don't imagine it will change anything. Unless Hola really helps out.

Cheers.....

There's a factory shop in Bo Sang, called Siam Cushion or Siam something or other. It's on the main craft street when you turn left off the road that goes to Sankampaeng. It will be on the right side about 200/300 meters after the turn from the main road. They don't have cushions made specifically for meditation but they have a large selection of many sizes and styles. The cushions are filled with kapok.

...let me add that Thaivisa is one of the sites that is often very slow to load.

I'm near the YMCA and have TOT DSL 10 mbps but I'm not quite happy with it. Uploads are super slow and sometimes I lose the page mid-upload. Often I can't stream video. A lot of sites just seem to hang a long time before loading. And sometimes the service goes out completely. Anyone have good service with True or CAT or 3B or whatever it's called?

Someone in the tech forum talked of this: For higher upload speeds you'll need obtain a different package. TRUE Online now offer 1.5Mbps upload via ADSL and also offers 1/2/5/10/15Mbps upload with their Cable Broadband.

Many ISPs also offer SDSL and VDSL connections that give higher upload rates (though you need to be within 1.5km to qualify)

What's the news?

Thanks, guys. Can't imagine it's high on the priority list for the gov. right now but I'll pass on the info to my cuz. Looks like anyone can do it, doesn't have to be the person in the report?

Cheers....

Hi all,

Sorry for the delay in reporting back. Things got busy here. I cut the corroded wires and hooked them back up fresh copper to copper. Got a satisfying jolt, too, when I guess I connected the circuit with my fingers. Silly me, I didn't realize that could happen with these wires; learn a new thing everyday.

Lomatopo, yes, I have the package you describe. I'm uploading photos through Safari (I have an Apple machine). You seem to be suggesting that I change to a different provider. You might be right but in searching the forums it seems like a crap shoot. You find complaints and praises about each one. The modem and router do get very hot. I assumed something like heat would eventually and suddenly result in total failure but not cause a gradual slowdown. Am I wrong about that?

Just did the speedtest again and got the exact same results. Perhaps it's just heavy traffic? I live in an area popular with students so a lot of internet going on...I would imagine. If it is true, will getting a faster package make any different or will I always suffer speed loss due to too many users? And Rich, thanks for the links to that info. I'm going to look into it.

Lastly, Astral, how can I find out about N protocol and which machines have it and which machines don't?

Cheers!

I often can't stream video, for example. Can most folks do that in Thailand?

My cousin is in Fiji with his Chiang Mai lady and apparently, in order to extend her visa there, she needs a statement from the Chiang Mai police attesting that she has no criminal record. Does anyone know what is necessary to get that report? Can anyone do it? I know she has a sister here that could possibly do the leg work but I don't think she's the type that would know where to start. Which is why I'm here asking questions.

Where to start?

Many thanks.

Awesome info from all, thanks so much. I appreciate all the help.

Cheers, Bam

Thanks Uptheos, I found it at DK books for the moment (just 2 pieces to wrap a gift). But I have indeed seen it at the walking street, good point. I'll take a look there as well when I need to buy a larger quantity. Probably a good price direct from the maker.

Cheers, BAmboozled

I'm looking to buy a couple sheets of saa paper to wrap some gifts. I know I can get it in Bo Sang but that's a hike from Santitham. Any closer place? Do they have it in DK books or Kad Suan Kaew?

1000 cheers! thanks.

...Rich, thanks for that info and the link. I'm going to give Hola a try. I'll let you know how I fare. One thing, I do upload a lot of photos. Is there any way to increase my bandwidth for upload?

...Noise, I am connecting only via wifi. The few times that I did connect by cable I got the impression the speed was quicker but those few times I was focused on getting the connection going again and wasn't really paying attention about speeds cable vs. wifi. I'm going to give it a test, however.

Your talk about corroded wires got me thinking and I did have this problem in the past. I've taken a picture of my connecting wires outside the house. The story here is when internet was installed by TOT they connected it through that plastic doohikey box with the circuit and ground in it. At some point after that, I had some problems with the connection and the TOT guy that came bypassed that box and just twisted the wires together, as you can see in the photo. They were never covered or protected. I just shrugged my shoulders since the internet worked again. I did have some problems after that...the wires broke...and I snipped them and hooked them back together and the internet worked. I'm going to do that now, thanks for your reminder. That being said, the plastic box doohikey is for....? I'm thinking now it is for lightning or huge power surges that could fry everything, is that correct? I don't know why he unhooked it but I'm thinking I might be better off getting it hooked up again...thoughts (see story below)?

Short story: I was living in Italy and came home and the house smelled of smoke and my modem was on the floor in exploded melted pieces of plastic. Turns out a lightning strike about a km away had fried something and sent the current down the line. I was SO SO lucky because I usually connected via cable and just by chance that day I had been trying out the wifi (this is about 10 years ago before wifi was ubiquitous). If I had been connected by cable I would have lost everything...my Apple tower, two montors, scanner, 2 or 3 external hard drives...Lucky I was. Had to have the all the internet cable replaced out to the telephone pole. My neighbor across the street said that when the lightning struck his TV turned on and the washing machine started going on its own accord.

I'll report back how things proceed.....

SAL with Thailand Post is pretty cheap. Check it out on their website.

Hi Rich,

Thanks for your reply. I just ran the test and I'm getting download 8.68 mbps (I think I have the 10 mb plan) and upload 0.34 mbps. What does power cycle mean/entail?

My problems are slow upload speeds which I have been told are pegged to be slow to save bandwidth for downloads which is what most people need. Is there any way to up the upload speed/bandwidth? Also loading web pages on my browser that I guess are not in Thailand, probably from a US server. The computer just seems to hang or jam up a lot. I sometimes lose uploads in the middle and have to start again. Or I'm filling out a form on the internet and after spending an hour on it losing the whole thing due to....something. Just seems I lose the link/connection with the page. That's not fun.

The problems I have when I call TOT are when I can't get on the internet at all, there is no connection. I have learned to plug into the modem with the cable and type in what I guess is my internet address or whatever you call that number such as 10.1.133.111 (not the real one). What I will do is change some parameter and then change it back and after that it seems to work. Come to think of it, at these times, the internet often seems to work with the cable but not with wifi. So perhaps there are a few different things going on. Sometimes when I call them they will do something down at "central" and it will work again. They invariably tell me my modem is old and creates problems.

A friend of mine who is rather techy couldn't believe I still had a modem and wifi that were separate machines. Does that have any significance?

Thanks again, Rich.

hmmm, let me think about that...

To conclude: my landlord's husband delivered the fridge somewhere in his pickup truck. It came back after two weeks and is working great, colder than ever. Cost: 1000 baht. The only thing, for the last week it's been making an unholy whining vibration-type racket. I finally pulled it out and looked in the back figuring something was loose. Sure enough, the compressor tank (I guess that's what it is) was completely loose. Obviously, it had been taken out and put back with the 4 nuts just twisted onto the bolts a couple turns. One was missing but the other three I tightened down and the thing is so silent now that I often figure it's broken again.

So, moral of the story, you CAN fix a fridge that has had a hole punched in the gas tubes. Probably manual labor is so pricey in Farangland, and the corporate powers that be so entrenched, that getting this type of repair done OVER THERE is like getting a screw tightened down properly OVER HERE.